A Q&A with Lottie, George, Beth and Chelsea - Allianz 2019 Summer Interns

Why did you apply for a summer internship?

George: As I entered my second year of university, I realised I would need to start thinking about what I wanted to be doing after graduating. A summer internship seemed like a fantastic opportunity to gain some working experience and get a better understanding of what kind of career I want to go into.

Chelsea: I originally applied for the summer internship as I have always been keen to have a career in data and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to throw myself into the deep end and get a true understanding of what a career in this area would look like. I am also coming to the end of my university experience which also means that I wanted to prepare myself for what a 9-5 job may look like and where I see myself within that.

What made you choose Allianz?

Beth: I chose Allianz since it is a global company and a renowned name within the industry. I knew there would be a lot of opportunities, and I was really excited to understand how such a massive entity works. During my application process, the HR team kept up frequent communication and were friendly – which definitely stood out from competitors – so I knew I wanted to work here already.

George: I thought that the insurance industry would be a great place to find out more about and gain some experience in from a financial perspective and Allianz definitely jumped out as the company to apply for. Allianz is huge, not just in the UK but globally, and the idea of working for a company that has a presence in so many other countries around the world sounded really exciting to me.

What’s been your favourite part of the experience?

Lottie: My favourite part of my internship has been the opportunity to get involved with work that is valued and will be used in the future. One of my largest projects was creating a review for some of the branches. This involved understanding and manipulating data from results packs to draw conclusions about the efficiency and capacity of each branch over the past 5 years in order to forecast for the future.

Chelsea: It is very hard to narrow done my favourite part; within the office it has been working on my own big projects like looking into theft trends and making dashboards for stakeholders – getting real responsibility and opportunities to showcase my skills. Outside of the office, Allianz has meant that I have made a group of really good friends with the other interns and with them I have gone to places like Thorpe Park and bowling – so my favourite part is the friendly feel you get everyday going into work.

Have your perceptions of the insurance industry or workplace changed?

Beth: There’s so much more to Allianz than insurance! It has been so interesting working within the HR department where our customer is the employee, and gaining an insight into the internal processes. I have also loved working with the communications team on my projects, seeing how they keep everyone engaged, and how they make the massive world of Allianz feel like a community.

Chelsea: Prior to working at Allianz and researching about it, I envisioned a very corporate and serious workplace. But working in the company for a few months now I have been pleasantly surprised! Everyone is very friendly and helpful, there is so much scope to work around the business and travel around the country doing it, I was lucky enough to be able to get advice from senior staff such as Jon Dye and Graham Gibson.

What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to someone thinking about an internship?

George: I think an internship would be a great experience for anyone to help them decide what kind of career they want to go into, so I recommend applying to a variety of places, especially if you aren’t really sure yet what you want to do. Then, even if the role isn’t for you, you will have a better understanding of what you do/don’t want to pursue as a career. And if you do enjoy it, you may want to go back once you graduate!

Lottie: As an intern it can be daunting entering a workplace which you may know little about. The main piece of advice I would offer an applicant considering this internship is to be open-minded and resilient. Your internship is all about learning; ask questions and speak to people if you are ever stuck!

Chelsea: The advice I would give is the same advice my line manager gave to me – that is to make yourself comfortably uncomfortable. This is to really make the most of every opportunity you get and to put yourself into situations that you wouldn’t usually, whether this is to talk up and join in on meetings or asking to present your work to an unfamiliar group of people. It is a huge opportunity but it is up to you to make the most of it!

Take a look at our website to find out more about our intern, graduate and placement schemes.